The Days Of The Past
by JosieCarter
Summary: Aria and Ezra broke up when Ezra left to teach in a school in New Orleans, Now five years later they live separate lives, she's in New York living a life that she hadn't expected and he's back in Rosewood teaching at Hollis once again. What will happen when Aria comes back to Rosewood? Will they get back together or will secrets get in the way?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, yep a new story, It's an ezria story of course. I'm sorry this chapter isn't particularly good, I'm awful at first chapters. Please give this story a chance (:**

**Disclaimer; I do not own PLL. **

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_ **  
**_ **Chapter One**

_The room was covered with fumes; she coughed furiously as she tried to look for an exit, her vision got blurrier as the minute passed. She could hear a scream, it sounded like Hanna. Feeling a faint, she leant against the door breathing heavily. She placed a hand on her stomach, suddenly feeling sick. Slowly, her eyes closed and she fell down to the ground._

_Soon enough the setting changed, and there she was – sitting on the hospital bed with a gown on and her hands in her lap. She was looking straight ahead at the wall when the doctor walked in._

_"I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Montgomery"_

Aria shot up in her bed, covered in sweat and breathing heavily, she leaned against the headboard of the bed and sighed. Her nightmares were just getting worse and worse, even therapy didn't help.

She was never going to get over the tragedies of the days of the past at this rate; she sighed heavily and looked at the man next to her. At twenty three, she already lived in a two bedroom luxurious apartment in the Upper East Side, had a stable job at a magazine and was dating a great guy.

Why wasn't she happy? It was a question, she asked herself every day, and she often felt guilty for having so much yet feeling so unhappy.

Sure she had been through some horrific things but that was in the past, it had been years. Five years to be exact, in those five years she had left Rosewood, graduated from Colombia, and met Jake.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she thought of the past, she quickly wiped it not wanting to get upset so close to Jake. She couldn't exactly tell him why she was upset, she couldn't tell anyone.

The brunette quickly slipped out of bed and walked towards the shower, she dropped her oversized t-shirt and stepped into the shower gasping slightly as she felt the ice cold water on her skin.

Aria turned and saw her reflection on the mirror on the wall; she had lost a lot of weight since Rosewood. In fact, some people (her mother) called her weight worrying, she didn't see much difference nor did Jake. He loved her just the way she was and he was sure to tell her that every single day.

She thanked her lucky stars for meeting Jake; she had met him when she had first looked for a job at age eighteen.

He owned many restaurants, most of which were considered one of the top restaurants in New York. His father had originally owned them but when he decided to retire, he passed on the family business to Jake.

Jake had given her the job despite her lack of experience, she knew he had a crush on her from the minute she began working for him, he was sweet and mature.

He never asked her about her life before New York knowing it was a touchy subject, soon enough they began dating.

She was hesitant at first not wanting to get into a relationship so soon but then she realized she was twenty years old, she hadn't been in a relationship since her junior year of high school so she finally agreed to a date and he was ecstatic.

He treated her like a princess and loved her, which was all that mattered.

Fifteen minutes passed and Aria stepped out of the shower, wrapping a clean towel around her petite body. She looked at herself in the mirror and slowly touched her cheek, realizing she had changed.

Her cheeks were much more defined, probably because of all the weight she had lost, her eyes always had bags under them and her hair was shorter than she had ever had it before. It barely scraped the top of her shoulder anymore, it had been an effort to let go of the past.

Aria quickly reached for her makeup bag under the sink, she put her hair in a clip and poured out everything in her bag on the counter. She put on a layer of foundation, concealer and powder in an effort to conceal all her sleepless nights.

Once she was happy with the way she looked, she dried her hair quickly and let it hang in loose curls around her shoulder. She put all the makeup back in the bag and picked up the shirt on the ground, knowing how much her boyfriend hated mess.

She looked at the clock; 7; 30, she had thirty minutes until she had to be at work. She walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom once more, she looked at her closet.

It was much more reserved than what she had in Rosewood; she no longer wore quirky questionable but instead smart clothes – fashionable clothes. Clothes that said she was the girlfriend of a millionaire.

In short, she had less of Vivienne Westwood and more of Chanel.

Aria pulled out a black dress that fell above the knee and showed the slightest bit of cleavage, she quickly threw on a pair of tights and the dress. She walked towards Jake and kissed her cheek softly "Rise and shine" she said softly.

He groaned and opened his eyes, a smile appeared on his face as he saw her face "Good morning princess" he said and leant in to kiss her but she shook her head.

"Brush your teeth first" She said, winking at him and walked away grabbing her heels on the way out giggling as she heard his groan.

As she walked into the living room, she pressed a button on her phone listening to the voicemails; the first one was from Jake's mother asking if they were going to come to dinner this Friday.

The second one was from Ella, unsurprisingly enough.

"_Hello dear, how are you? I was just wondering if you had any plans, me and your father would really love it if you came to Rosewood for thanksgiving. Jake can also come, of course. Your father would really love to meet the man in your life; he's been nagging me to call you since you haven't answered any of his calls. I love you, honey, please call back"_

Her mother's voice caused her to smile and roll her eyes at the same time, as much as she loved her mother, she hated that Ella was always trying to get her to come back to Rosewood.

They both knew it wasn't going to happen; her relationship with her father was entirely another topic. Their relationship had always been tricky but now she wasn't a teenager and didn't have to put up with his bullshit, Aria couldn't even recall the last time she had talked to him. It had probably ended with another fight.

Aria sighed but listened to the third message;

_"Hey Ar, it's been a while. I'm in New York for a little bit, for a case. I was wondering if you'd like to meet up, I'd love to see you and your little apartment. I miss you, Aria. We all do, please call me. I could really use some team Sparia. Love you"_

Ever since she left Rosewood, her parents and her four friends were the only ones who made the effort to stay in touch. And as much as she wanted to see her friends, she couldn't. They all had unanswered questions and she didn't want to answer them, it would only hurt too much.

It had been five years since she last saw her friends, five years too long in her opinion but she knew she had to stay away.

Hanna went to a prestigious fashion college in London, surprisingly enough. Out of the four, she was the one who most hated change but yet she went so far for college, she was now working in a boutique.

.Aria suspected that part of her decision to go to London was the same as hers, to get away.

Spencer went Upenn and studied Law as she had always wanted. She was now a lawyer at one of the top firms in Philly, and was living in an apartment alongside Toby who had set up a construction company.

Emily travelled the world with Paige, they were still going strong. Aria often envied their relationship, despite being happy for them. a part of her always wished she was just as happy as Emily.

She was now teaching at Rosewood high as a swim coach, her injury had crushed her dreams of become a professional swimmer but that didn't stop her from teaching what she loved.

All her friends were still with their high school sweethearts unlike Aria, Spencer was even engaged. Toby had popped the question on New Year's last year. Spencer had immediately called Aria since she was the only one who wasn't at the proposal; she had said it was incredibly romantic and that all the girls were in on it.

All but Aria, of course, that was one of the few times Aria and Spencer had actually had a heart felt conversation since High school. Spencer had talked about Toby and Aria told her about Jake.

It was a great conversation and Spencer started speaking about the latest Rosewood gossip, all was well until Spencer had brought up a former teacher who had returned to Rosewood.

She had told Aria about how Hanna still had a crush on him and how she still found him so incredibly attractive unaware of the fact that her friend was hurting.

Aria couldn't blame Spencer, her friends didn't have a clue on the relationship but the conversation reminded Aria how painful the memories of the past were. After that conversation, Aria barely talked to any of her friends. Just texting them every now and then was all the communication she had with them.

A part of her often wondered how he was, was he married? Engaged? Did he have kids? Had he finished the novel he had always been working on? _Did he still love her?_

She quickly shook the thought out of her head; she wouldn't go down that road. It would only end in tears, she knew that all too well.

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**So please let me know what you guys think!, i'm not too sure i'm going to continue this story so please let me know if you want me to. Please review, let me know if this is story is awful or bearable haha, P.S. i apologize for the lack of Ezra. He will deffo be in the next chapter if you guys want me to continue with this story.**

**Review, Follow, Favourite**

**xoxo Josie**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hellooo guys, This is an update for you lovelies who gave me such wonderful reviews and Pm's. Thank you so much, they really mean a lot to me. More than you'll ever know. **

**This chapter is basically just to introduce Ezra's side of the story and how he is, Also in the last chapter i called Aria's boyfriend Andy but i have changed it for some reason to Jake. It's the same Jake from the show however he isn't from Rosewood and has a different back story. **

**Disclaimer; I don't own anything, sadly:(**

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**Chapter Two**

"_Good bye"_

_I looked up at her as she spoke, was it possible? This relationship couldn't be over, she loved me and I loved her. Why was she doing this? Did she no longer care? Was my love one sided, could it be? – Ezra Fitz (Chapter four) _

Ezra sat in his office attempting to write, it was unusual for him to find writing hard. It used to come to him easily, he used to pour his heart out on a piece of paper but times had changed.

He no longer had any inspiration, everything he wrote ended tragically to the extent that even his publisher had told him to write something happier.

In the last five years he had two books published, the first one was a novel based on an illicit love affair between a student and a teacher which had ended in tragedy, and the lovers had both died at the end of the novel.

It had been critically acclaimed; most critics praised it for not romanticizing the situation and showing it how it was however others thought that even the notion of a student – teacher relationship was disgusting and some of the scenes weren't realistic. Ezra had chuckled as he read the review and thought _little do they know_

Hardy had warned him that it wasn't a smart idea publishing the book, of course it wasn't. It was based on a relationship that he had been a part of and an illegal one at that; his best friend had said that people may start suspecting something.

To that Ezra had said, there was nothing to suspect anymore. The relationship had ended a long time ago and there was no chance what so ever of the romance being rekindled.

Which was the truth, no matter how much he wished to deny it, he had come back to rosewood in hope of seeing her again. It had been a whole year and he had heard what had happened to the four girls, at first he was upset that she hadn't told him but then he was worried about her. He needed to see her so he came back to Rosewood.

He had learnt from her parents that she had left Rosewood, they didn't know where. All they knew was that she wanted an escape and that one day she packed her bags and left. They didn't share anything else on the matter, and he tried looking for her.

But it seemed as if she had fallen off the face of the earth, no one knew where she was. After that, he also left knowing there was no hope of finding her.

He never went back to New Orleans; it reminded him too much of what he had lost. He left for Europe; he lived in Reykjavik for a couple of months and then London for another few months.

Ezra travelled across Europe, visiting new places was good for him. It gave him inspiration for writing more, he had written many poems and short stories which had been published in his second book.

He returned to Rosewood when one afternoon, he had received a call from Hollis. The dean told him that there was an opening the English department and since the dean had been so impressed with the job he had done before, he was welcome to come back.

He was hesitant, to say the least about coming back. It had been four years since he had stepped foot into the town he once called home, and just when he was about to turn the job down.

He received a call from Hardy, who persuaded him to come home telling him it was time to move on and he couldn't possibly survive on a writers income.

So he came back to Rosewood, brought an apartment near Hollis. This time, it wasn't a studio apartment. In fact it was quite spacious; it had one bedroom and a bathroom.

He had more space for his books for which he was beyond happy about, Hardy had teased him calling him a 'geek' but it was nothing Ezra wasn't used to.

Ezra looked down at the blank sheet of paper and sighed; he closed the book and pushed it away from him burying his head in his hands.

"Rough day" A voice asked, he lifted his head to find no other than Byron Montgomery standing there.

The younger man shook his head "No, I just have no inspiration whatsoever anymore" his honesty didn't surprise him or Byron; he had been close to the Montgomery family ever since he taught at Rosewood.

And ever since he had come back from Europe, he became closer to them. He was regularly invited to mixers and dinners at the house, they were so close that even his family had been over to the Montgomery household several times.

"I see" Byron said, stepping into the room "It happens to the best of us, I bet even Scott Fitzgerald had days like this" He added, knowing Ezra's love for the man.

"I doubt it, the man was a genius"

The older man chuckled and continued "You're extremely talented as well, Ezra. Your book was amazing, I thoroughly enjoyed it and Ella –," his eyes sparkled with adoration as he spoke of his wife

"Ella never put the book down until she finished the entire book, Mike and I had to rely on ramen noodles for a bit" He said, it was no secret that the men of the Montgomery lacked in culinary skills.

Ezra laughed and looked at the older man "You're just being too kind, the book wasn't all that. Although It did caused quite a controversy here in Rosewood, I'm surprised I got a call from the dean asking me to come back to Hollis, After the reaction I received from some parents, I would've thought they'd try to get my teaching licence revoked"

"Well, it wasn't as if it actually happened. I actually enjoyed the realistic views on these illicit affairs; it is awful after all so I'm glad in the end Emma and Will didn't end up together"

Ezra nodded, forcing a smile knowing that if Byron knew the truth, he wouldn't be here chatting to him but instead locked in a jail cell. He nervously cleared his throat and sighed with relief when he heard his phone ring, he looked at the caller ID; Maggie.

He smiled softly; trust her to save him from an uncomfortable situation "Hey"

"Ez, hey, Can you please please please get something for us on your way home from work. I burnt dinner, and Ryan is hungry" Her voice asked.

"Of course, I'll see you in a bit; I'll get you the usual"

"Thank you, I love you" She said

"Yeah you too"

He hung up and put the phone on the desk before looking at Byron "Sorry about that, it was Maggie."

"It's fine, you three should really come over for dinner more often. Ella still can't get over how much Ryan looks like you, she calls it uncanny, and Speaking of Ella I should really get home. I can't be late for dinner, not again"

The older man said his goodbyes and left, Ezra stared at the blank paper for five more minutes before giving up and grabbing his coat to leave. He turned off the light and walked out of Hollis with his hands in his pocket.

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**So? do tell me what you think, remember the more you review, the quicker i update. Next chapter will be of Aria in New York and it may have a visit from a certain angry Hastings! Once again, i wish to thank all the people who have followed, favourited and reviewed. You guys are awesome! So do as you did last chapter and review your pretty little fingers away. **

**xoxo Josie**


	3. Chapter 3

**REPOST: This is a repost, i've come to the conclusion that perhaps many people didn't get to read this chapter during the week so i decided to repost it. If you have read this chapter, stop now or go ahead read it again but make sure you review! I need to get at least five or six reviews before i post the next chapter. (I don't need to but i'd appreciate it if i did;D)**

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**Hello my lovelies, how are you this fine morn? All well, i hope. Once again, i want to thank all those who have reviewed and followed and favourited. It means a lot, a month ago the only person reading my stories was me and now even having six people means so much. Thank you so so so much to everyone who has taken the time to read this. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, if i did. I'd be rich and spending every moment of my day making sure that PLL was Ezria filled. **

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**Chapter Three**

_Aria sat on the bench in front of the building she had once often visited; she smiled at the bittersweet memories. The dates, the late night calls, the movie nights. Her smile dropped as she realised it had been almost six months since she had stepped foot into that building and the reason why, he was gone._

_He had been gone for six months, he had left her all alone in a town that did nothing but criticize her every move. _

_The sound of girls chatting interrupted her thoughts; she looked over at them and smiled slightly at them. In a town like Rosewood, everyone knew everyone. Rosie, The girl who she had once baby sat rolled her eyes at her and simply looked away. _

_Her eyes widened, what the hell just happened? _

"_Don't look at her" The girl next to Rosie said a little too loud "Mom says we should stay away from her and her friends. Apparently they're bad news!" She obviously had no idea how loud she was. _

"_My mother said the same" The third girl said to Rosie "And Mindy from science class told me that her older sister, Abby heard from Mona Vanderwaal that she had seen her buying a pregnancy test months back"_

"_Wait she's pregnant" Rosie asked, shocked. _

"_Apparently" The girl said, smirking slightly at the gossip. _

"_What a slut"_

_Aria glared at them, she clenched the cup of coffee she had in her head before getting up and marching towards them, she threw the cup in the bin. She forced a smile as she stood in front of them. _

"_Just a piece of advice, if you're going to talk about someone behind their back, don't do it when they're right next to you" Her voice was bitter and just before she turned around "And, I'm not pregnant. So you can tell your friend to stop listening to rumours because they're never true." She added before walking away leaving the three girls speechless._

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"Aria, could you be a darling and please get me a soy coffee? Sweetened and with foam" The irritatingly cheerful voice of Myra Higgs spoke; it took all she had in her to not roll her eyes and force a smile. Aria nodded as she looked at the face of her boss, whom she had once referred to as the reincarnation of Lucifer, himself.

As the 5'2 brunette began to take a few steps back and started to turn around, the voice spoke again "Oh and when you come back, you need to sort the archives out again, they are a mess" The woman caked in layers of Chanel spoke.

"Sure," Aria said, pretending she actually had a choice in this, she forced another smile and stepped out of the office letting out a breath of relief whilst leaning against the door.

Simone laughed at the sight of her "That bad, eh?"

"Yes, The always pleasant Myra wants me to get a soy coffee, sweetened and with foam, of course. And oh, I can't go to the Starbucks on this block because she doesn't like the look of it and once she thought the guy behind the counter was shooting her daggers so she has decided to boycott it. And because she has, I have to." She said, rolling her eyes "So now, I have to go the Starbucks seven blocks away. Seven" she emphasised.

The woman in front of her chuckled, and nodded "I know how you feel, Hun. Just a couple of years ago, I was her assistant, remember?" She said and Aria nodded.

"How about I drop you off?" Simone suggested and smiled when she saw Aria's eyes glisten in delight.

"You, Simone Lambert are a life saver" She said and hugged her tight "You've saved me so much walking, we should really get going before the wicked witch throws a tantrum"

It had only been about three years since Aria met up with Simone again; she had bumped into her at a coffee shop and recently her former baby sitter had offered to get her a job at the magazine at which she worked, to which Aria had obviously agreed.

And ever since they had been extremely close, Aria would go as far as to say Simone was now one of her closest friends.

"So how's planning for the party of the century going?" Aria asked as they walked into the parking lot and into Simone's car.

Simone laughed nervously "Great, I mean it's going to be a great night" she said "There are so many talented writers there, I wish you could come. I bet you'd hit it off with one of them" She winked playfully at Aria.

"You do realise I have a boyfriend, right?"

The blonde rolled her eyes "Oh yeah, Jake. I nearly forgot about him" It was no secret Simone didn't like Jake, ever since the minute she saw him, she was hostile for reasons unknown to Aria.

"Okay, what's wrong with Jake? He's wonderful"

"Nothing, nothing's wrong with Jake. He's wonderful" Simone mimicked Aria's voice to which Aria playfully nudged her as she began to drive "So how was your week? He take you to Paris again?" She spoke of the impromptu trip; Jake had once surprised Aria with.

Aria chuckled "No" Her smile fell from her face as she remembered the weekend and the voice mail had left her.

It had been several days since Aria had received the voice mail from Spencer; in fact it had almost been a week, and since then she had sent Spencer a text.

It had been a very vague text, one that spoke as if they were merely acquaintances instead of high best friends. It had gone something along the lines of;

_Hey Spencer, I'm extremely busy this week so we can't meet up. Perhaps next time you're in New York, we can grab a coffee or something? Sorry, Work's very hectic at the moment – Aria_

Aria, herself had rolled her eyes as she clicked the send button, the text was full of nothing but lies. Work wasn't hectic; she was a personal assistant for crying out loud.

All she ever did was bring coffee, rearrange archives, sort out meetings and make sure that her boss, Myra knows what her schedule for the day is.

The minute she had sent the text, she had felt a surge of guilt clouding her conscience; she was an awful human being and a terrible friend. She didn't deserve the girls back in Rosewood who to this day still made an effort to keep in touch with her.

Why did they even still try?

The last time she had seen them together was when she said goodbye, she had told them she needed a change of scenery and so she was leaving.

"Spencer called, I told her I was busy so I couldn't meet up with her" Aria said, sighing slightly.

"Busy doing what exactly?" Simone said and awaited Aria's response "Listen, Honey, I don't know what happened between you and your friends but what I do know is that you four were inseparable and those feelings don't just go away. You can't let whatever it is get in the way of a great friendship"

"I know" Aria muttered "I know, it's just –," She looked out of the window "Just drop me off here, There's only a block left"

"Are you sure?"

"Yep, I'll talk to you later." She said and got out of the car, walking her way to the Starbucks.

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The couple sat in the fancy diner and ordered their meal, she tapped her feet impatiently and looked at the clock; 6:30. The man in front of her raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, what's wrong?" He asked curiously.

"Why would anything be wrong, we're sitting in an expensive fancy diner? Which wasn't necessary by the way and we're in New York, the greatest city in the world" Her attempt to sound cheerful took a u turn and sounded faker than she had intended it to.

Toby rolled his eyes and looked at her in a way that told her he didn't believe any of the crap she had just said, for a minute she just looked at him too but then she sighed and began to speak.

"I was just thinking about Aria"

"Should I be worried?" He teased, his grin dropped when he saw her glaring at him.

"She replied to my voice mail saying she was busy which I don't believe, I really need to talk to her. She is seriously pissing me off, like does she even cares about me and the girls. It's Friday today and she left work at four today so she's most likely home so I'm going to go over"

"How did you even find out all that?"

"I have my ways" She said, smirking slightly.

"It's not a good idea" Toby said, looking at his girlfriend. She clearly hadn't thought it through and knowing Spencer, she would probably say some things she didn't mean and regret it the next day

"Yes it is"

"No it's not" He said once again, calmly whilst holding the menu, he raised his eyes from the menu and looked at her. she sent him a look that could kill for even questioning her decision.

"Yes it is"

"Spencer" He warned as he put the menu down, knowing that it didn't matter what he said, she would do whatever she wanted. She was Spencer Hastings, after all. When she made a decision, she would go through with and no could stop her.

"Toby" She mimicked

"Fine do whatever but remember I warned you"

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The apartment was empty with the exception of Aria; Jake was working late nights so once again she was alone on a Friday night. She didn't really mind being alone, after all she had Cary Grant on her TV and a carton of Chunky Monkey beside her.

She wrapped her blanket around her body, it was November and starting to get chilly in New York. Extremely chilly, she wouldn't even be surprised if it started to snow at this minute.

The sound of people laughing and the music blaring from the apartment a couple of doors down caused her to tear her eyes away from the sight of the gorgeous Cary Grant for just a minute, she rolled her eyes.

Did they really have to be so loud? God some people want to relax, kids nowadays

She shuddered slightly as she realized how old she sounded; she mentally made a note to actually do something next Friday. Something that didn't include a poetry reading or watching the same movie for the hundredth time, maybe she would go to that Club Simone had been nagging her to go.

Once again, she focused her eyes on the sight of Deborah Kerr. She smiled as she watched the scene; she heard a knock on the door. Aria clenched her fist; it was probably those teenagers asking if she had any beer because they had run out.

They didn't even try to convince her that they were over 21, she let go of her blanket and marched over to the door ready to give them a piece of her mind.

"For the last time, I don't have any freaking alcohol"

Aria said as she opened the door, but to her surprise there stood no teenagers but a face she hadn't seen in person for years. And for some reason she knew it wasn't going to be a happy reunion, seeing Spencer's face made her all the more scared.

Spencer looked at her and pushed past her stepping into the apartment, her eyes widened slight as she looked at the luxurious apartment. Aria could tell she was doing the math, and right about now she was figuring out that there was no way in hell she could afford that on a personal assistant's salary.

Aria closed the door behind her and sighed as Spencer turned around, before she could even say anything Spencer spoke.

"We need to talk"

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**Oooh Spencer wants to talk, i wonder what she's going to say. I realise now in the last chapter, i may have promised some Spencer Fieryness but i didn't want to make this chapter longer than it already is so you have to wait. I apologise, i really do. Next chapter is in Rosewood, all Ezra. All the time. How do you guys feel about that? ;) **

**Review, Favourite, Follow. **

**xoxo Josie. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello My Lovelies, here's chapter four for y'all. Thank you everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed. It means the world to me, honestly. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as i enjoyed writing it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah blah blah. **

**With further or due, commence le reading**

**Chapter Four**

_**Three years ago, New York.**_

"I will always love you"

Her voice echoed through his head as he watched her with that man, she was laughing. She seemed so happy, so free.

He sighed; a part of him hated her for that. Hadn't she promised to always love him? But here she was with a man who was close to her age, her boyfriend, presumably.

He then came to the realization that he couldn't hate her, even if he wanted to. After all, he was the one who left and told her to move on, perhaps not willingly but the fact that he said those words counted.

_She had moved on. _

He closed his eyes as the emotion flooded his eyes; he gulped and took a deep breath in. He put his hands in his pockets and grabbed out a phone as he turned around.

Ezra dialled a number "Maggie, it's Ezra, I'm coming home" He said to her voicemail and put the phone back into his pocket and walked the streets of New York feeling more alone than he had ever felt before.

_**Present Day, Rosewood.**_

The older man watched as the boy chucked the ball, he ran and caught it chuckling slightly at Ryan's attempt which was a little too weak and a little too low nonetheless he told him how good of a throw it was.

He remembered his younger days, when his dad taught him. Michael Fitzgerald didn't have a patient bone in his body and frightened the young Ezra with his yelling, which in no way helped the awkward eight year old.

His mother had quickly stepped in, letting her husband know that he didn't need to shout and that one day Ezra would learn, to which Michael did what he always does; grunt and slam the door on the way out.

The woman, whom Ezra remembered vividly held him in her arms and consoled him as he cried. She had always encouraged his reading and writing unlike her husband who thought it was a waste of time.

It had been years since her passing, more than a decade in fact.

"Ezra" Ryan's voice spoke

"You're meant to throw the ball back"

Ezra still in the thought of his mother nodded weakly and chucked the ball at Ryan, who apparently was the splitting image of him.

Maggie had always said he looked like Michael, but Ezra always saw a bit of his mother in him.

Maggie smiled as she watched Ezra and Ryan play "Ezra, Hardy's here" Annoyance etched in her voice; he chuckled as he looked at her facial expression.

"Sorry Mags, I told him to not come here and go to my apartment"

"it's fine, we all know how Hardy is"

"Wait, you're going?" The little boy asked, running up to Ezra. His blue eyes were filled with sadness and he pouted slightly, Ezra's heart broke as he saw him.

He always did have a weak side for kids.

"It's okay, Ryan. Mommy will play with you" Maggie said, whilst ruffling the hair on her boy's head.

Ezra laughed as Ryan's mouth fell open.

"But you're a girl. You don't know how to play"

Maggie nudged Ezra and looked at her son "Just because I am a girl doesn't mean I don't know how to play. Girls can do everything boys can" She said in a stern voice.

"While that may be true, Maggie, you can't catch to save your life" He said as he walked towards the door unaware of what was going to hit him, literally.

She grabbed the ball off her son and threw it at him; Ezra's let out a little yelp.

"Hey" He yelled as he turned around.

Maggie let out a little giggle and poked her tongue out as she watched him "That's what you get, Fitz!"

He rolled his eyes as he stepped into Maggie's modest two bedroom house, which she had brought just after viewing more than a dozen houses much to his annoyance.

Unlike her, he found very house okay and didn't understand why the woman needed his input on every single little thing. After all it was meant to be temporary but things had changed, she got pregnant and decided to stay in Rosewood.

Hardy was sitting in the kitchen with a pained expression on his face and a bottle of beer in his hand, he was looking at his phone and when he heard the sound of footsteps he looked up.

"Hey"

His voice was sullen and beaten down, Ezra's raised his eyebrows at his friend who was usually much more chirpy.

"Alice left, she's gone"

Ezra nodded as he took in the information, it was no shock to him. For the last couple of months, he had been the other end of the phone or next to him in the bar whenever Hardy had relationship issues.

Hardy sighed "I don't understand woman" he said with discontent.

"You and me, both"

"Can we just go somewhere and just drink?"

Ezra nodded and got up.

* * *

The restaurant was filled with people chatting and laughing, it was a Friday night so The Grill being a popular restaurant was jam packed. There wasn't an empty table in sight, far in the corner sat a girl awaiting her loved one.

She sighed as she picked up her phone; it was 7:25. Once again, Paige was late. When they had graduated from College, Paige decided to pursue her dream in sports and become a Field Hockey coach.

Paige worked in a private school in Philadelphia and had practice after school so was running late, she put her phone down and leaned her face on her hands as she watched the entrance.

As she looked away, she heard the sound of the door opening but to her surprise it wasn't her girlfriend but a blonde strutting into the restaurant with her 5 inch heels and a panicked expression on her face.

Hanna rushed towards Emily; she quickly sat down and took deep breaths in and out. She looked at her best friend, who was looking at her curiously.

"Have you heard?" She blurted out.

"Heard what?" Emily asked, Hanna passed her the phone.

_Hey Hanna, just thought I'd let you know that Spencer's gone over to Aria's (uninvited) I have a feeling it won't end well, and I was hoping you could possibly talk her out of it. – Toby. _

"Oh my goodness, what is Spencer planning to do?"

"I don't know but she's probably going to all Spencer Hastings on her"

"This is not good" She repeated "Spencer's going to push her further away"

Hanna rolled her eyes "Further away? That's not even possible, Aria's already far. Extremely far, all the way in New York and doesn't even bother to visit or answer our calls far"

"She needs time; she was there that night before we were. She saw Reynolds die"

"Time? It's been five years" Hanna said and did the math "2,825 days" she emphasised.

Emily sighed as she looked at Hanna "1,825 but nice try" she put the phone on the table "And what I meant is she needs more time, it's not easy seeing someone die and getting accused of murder in a town that doesn't forget anything."

Hanna licked her bottom lip, nervously. "Do you really think we're never going to see her again?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly "Iceland was bad enough and it was only a year, but it's been five years. Is she ever going to come home?"

"I don't know, Han" Emily placed her hand on top of Hanna's "I think, maybe it's because of the –," She thought of the words, they never really discussed what happened with Aria during senior, probably because they didn't know much.

Just then, their former teacher walked in alongside his best friend. Hanna smirked as she saw him, momentarily forgetting all his worries. Emily turned around to see what Hanna was looking at and rolled her eyes.

"Hanna, what are you even thinking?" Emily asked "Actually I don't want to know"

"He's still mighty fine." Hanna commented.

* * *

"I can't believe you brought me here to get drunk" Hardy groaned as they walked into the grill, he was hoping of more of a bar and not a restaurant.

Ezra rolled his eyes "Well, I for one don't want to run into either of my students at those bars and I'm sure you don't either so this is the only safe choice"

Hardy chuckled as he thought of the last time he had run into one of his students in a bar, he patted Ezra on the back "Well done, man. Making jokes about your past mistakes is one of the ways to move on"

"I have moved on, it's been five years"

"Yeah, Yeah whatever."

"Don't look now but that hot blondie in the back is checking you out"

Ezra raised his eyebrows and looked across the restaurant, seeing no other than Hanna Marin waving cheerfully at him; hesitantly he waved back and smiled slightly.

"That's Hanna Marin, I taught during her junior year at Rosewood high"

Hardy rolled his eyes "You're not dating this one, too. Are you?" He muttered near Ezra's ear so that he was the only one who could hear.

"Haha, you're hilarious" His voice was etched with sarcasm and annoyance, he glared at his friend. Did he have to always bring that part of his life up? The part he was trying to forget.

As they were seated beside the bar, Paige McCullers made her way to the table in which her girlfriend and her best friend were seated.

"Spencer went to Aria's apartment" Ezra heard Hanna exclaim "All hell has broken loose" He turned his head when he heard her name unaware that Hardy was watching his every move.

"You're screwed" His best friend said simply.

Ezra turned to face him; he ordered a scotch and then spoke "What?"

"You're twenty nine years old, author of a bestselling book, a professor in an excellent college teaching a subject you love, have a beautiful girlfriend but yet you're still hung up over a girl who you dated five years ago"

"I'm not hung up over her"

"Don't lie to me; I've known you since you were five"

Ezra sighed; he took the scotch from the bartender and took a sip. It was true, he was a mess. Five years had passed and all he could think about was her.

The broken promises, the fighting, the late nights watching the same movie they always did.

_But_ he had a girlfriend and a stable career; he couldn't drive himself crazy over something that never would have worked.

* * *

**So? what did you guys think? Did ya like it? hate it? lemme know. Remember guys, i need at least five reviews before i publish the next chapter. I hate to do this but i need to know enough people have read it and liked it in order for me to post the next chapter.**

**Once again, thank you guys for reviewing. **

_**Favourite, follow, review**_

**xoxo Josie.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my lovelies, how are you? all well i hope. I'd just like to say how grateful i am for all your reviews, they were simply wonderful. I can't even begin to describe how happy i was to find eleven reviews in the morning after i posted. It meant the world to me, honestly. And because of that i've decided to update so soon. This is chapter five (part one) i wrote it not realising how long it was so instead of making two chapters, i decided to split it into half. I will upload part two once i get feedback. Once again, THANK YOU. I love you guys.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, i wish i did but i don't.**

* * *

Chapter Five:

Aria watched as Spencer stepped into the apartment and looked around, her keen eye for design carefully looked at everything inspecting the littlest thing from the white sofa Jake had brought despite her warnings claiming her clumsiness would ruin it to the curtains Aria had brought when they first moved in.

Spencer turned around, a forced smile pressed on her face. She looked at Aria, who was nervously playing with her hands waiting for her best friend to speak.

"Nice curtains" The preppy brunette had said, Aria raised her eyebrow curiously, it was certainly something she hadn't expected for Spencer to say. She expected yelling, cursing but not this.

She crossed her arms across her chest and smiled slightly "Thanks, I got it from a vintage store downtown. I can give you the address" She said, awkwardly.

Spencer let out a little laugh; Aria was speaking as if they were mere acquaintances rather than best friends.

Were they even best friends anymore? It had been five years since they spoke face to face, could you still call a girl who you haven't seen for five years your best friend?

"I guess you're wondering what on earth I'm doing here" Spencer asked, Aria opened her mouth to deny it despite it being true.

"I think I have a pretty good idea" Aria said "Are you angry?" she added, nervously.

The two best friends just looked at each other for a minute, Spencer didn't answer the question and Aria had a fairly good idea what her idea was going.

Instead of answering the question, Spencer looked around the apartment once more. Something caught her gaze and she walked over to the shelf to which Aria raised her eyebrow curiously.

It was a picture that caught her eye, a picture amongst many of people Spencer didn't know. It wasn't even in the front shelf; in fact it was nearly covered by the other pictures.

The pictures of Jake and Aria, Jake and his family, Jake and his friends didn't hide the picture that all four of them had.

It was of all five of them, the summer before Ali's disappearance.

Spencer smiled "We were babies" She said and Aria laughed "You had that pink hair"

Aria cringed in embarrassment, she closed her eyes for a brief second trying to that image out of her head but it did nothing but make it clearer.

"Oh please don't, that was one of my worst fashion choices ever"

"I wouldn't say ever, do you remember the yellow high heels and the pink hair band combination" Spencer teased, remembering freshman year.

"I pulled that off"

"You didn't" Spencer rolled her eyes "But you couldn't care less, you didn't care about what people thought" she paused for a minute "What changed?" She asked.

Aria remained quiet, she took the picture off Spencer and put it on the shelf where it belonged, hiding behind a collection of Jake's pictures.

She walked towards the kitchen completely dismissing her question, she tried changing the subject "Do you want coffee?"

"Aria" Spencer warned, determined to get a response.

The sound of her best friend caused her to turn around; she leaned against the counter sighing softly before responding.

"What changed is that I'm no longer a fifteen year old and I _refuse _to live in a town which thinks of me as a whore and a murderer"

"No one thin—,"

"Aria shook her head "Don't even try it, Spencer. You were there during senior year beside me; you heard everything they said about me"

"That was five years ago, most of those people don't even live in Rosewood anymore. Wilden killed Ali, everyone knows it now"

"I'm not talking about Ali"

Spencer sighed, she watched her best friend who now had tears in her eyes. She knew immediately what she was thinking "It wasn't your fault"

"Why did you come here Spencer? I'm pretty sure it wasn't to talk about our wonderful teenage years" Sarcasm etched in her voice.

"The truth is that I came to shout at you, fight with, and let out everything I've been feeling for the last five years"

"Then why haven't you?"

"I don't know, I'm tired of fighting. We did enough of that with Ali, we're grown up now and I'm getting married. I want you to be there, Aria"

"Spencer—,"

"No, please Aria, I need you there. You're my best friend, we always decided that you were going to be my maid of honour, Hanna was going to be Emily's and vice-versa"

"I can't come back to Rosewood, please understand."

"So you're not coming to my wedding"

Spencer scoffed slightly, she took a deep breath in trying not to get too angry "I can't believe you right now, You're being so selfish"

"Selfish, do you not understand what happened to me in that town? What I went through"

Spencer scoffed "We do, all too well. We suffered just as much as you did, if not more"

"What?" Aria looked at her "Are you honestly measuring how much we suffered? It wasn't a competition of who suffered more, Spence" She spat out angrily.

Spencer looked away, realising what she said was wrong "I didn't mean it like that"

"Then what did you mean?"

"It's just" Spencer began, hesitantly "We all had our issues, Hanna with the shoplifting, the cop and her mom. Emily coming out of the closet and me with Wren and Ian but you-,"

Aria looked away "What about me?" She asked, quietly knowing what Spencer was going to say.

"It was just your dad's affair and your –." The preppy brunette didn't know whether to say it or not, Aria turned to face her "Your kid" Spencer mumbled quietly.

Aria closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath in as she heard her friend mention her kid.

"But that was after A was gone, what else were you keeping from us? We know you were keeping a secret; A taunted us on it enough. Now can you please tell me what it was?"

"There was a boy" Aria confessed quietly.

"A boy, that's it. Your big secret was that there was a boy" Spencer interrupted, narrowing her eyes as she looked at her best friend who was trying to avoid eye contact.

"He wasn't exactly a boy, he was a man. He was older; I shouldn't have been dating him. We both could have gotten in a lot of trouble"

"Who was he?"

"I can't say"

"You can't say or you don't want to say"

"Spencer"

"No" She took something out of her bag and handed it over to Aria "I've had enough of this crap, I can't believe I came all the way to New York just for this. Good bye, Aria. Have a good fucking life without me or the girls"

And with that she left, Aria sighed as she leaned against the wall. She slowly slid down and buried her head in her knees, tears falling down her cheek.

The envelope Spencer had given her was on the floor next to her, She sniffled "I'm sorry, Spencer" She mumbled.

Inside the envelope was an invitation, an invitation to the wedding that Rosewood was eagerly awaiting for, the wedding of Toby Cavanaugh and Spencer Hastings

* * *

**So? What did you guys think? I'm really nervous about posting this because i am awful at writing confrontational scenes so please let me know what you guys thought and whether you have any tips whatsoever. So as always five or more reviews and i'll post immediately. Thank you guys once again, if you have any questions, leave them in a review and i'll answer them in the top bit of the next chapter or just PM me.**

_**Review, Favourite, Follow.**_

**xoxo Josie.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my lovelies, this is not a repost or anything and is a new chapter. I don't know about you guys i'm proud of my self for updating twice in a weekend, of course i'm not proud of the fact i'm doing this while i should be revising for my mocks but you know whatevs. Thank you guys for all the reviews, i appreciate and so i decided to post today.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own shit :(**

**Without further or due, here's chapter six.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_Four years ago, New York._

The small studio apartment was filled with darkness as the woman stepped in, there were clothes on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink, it was almost as if no one had ever cleaned this place.

Simone walked over to the curtains and opened them letting in light into the room much to the annoyance of the girl in the bed; she walked over to the bed and pulled the covers off Aria.

"Get up" she ordered, Aria turned to her side closing her eyes attempting to get more sleep "C'mon Aria get your ass up, you can't spend your whole life in bed feeling sorry for yourself"

"Why not" She mumbled out "Why can't you just leave me here to die?" she asked.

"Because" Simone began as she dragged Aria out of bed "You're better than this. You're smart, beautiful and talented. You have your whole life ahead of you and you cannot – I will not let you destroy your life over the days of the past. Do you hear me?"

Aria nodded weakly as tears flooded her eyes "It's so hard" She said, sadly and Simone enveloped her in a hug.

"I know, honey, I know"

* * *

It had been nearly a week since Spencer had come over and let Aria know how bad of a friend she had been for the last five years. Because of which Aria was a wreck; she wouldn't eat, and she couldn't sleep. All she could think about was how selfish she had been.

She needed her friends and they needed her yet she stayed away because she was scared

It was strange to think five years had passed since she stepped foot into Rosewood, memories of her childhood flooded her mind.

All five of the girls running, playing in a park, Mike chasing after them and trying to play with them. And of course they said no because they only played with girls not boys, boys were disgusting.

They had made that remark at seven and less five years later, Aria had her first crush; Noel Kahn. He was everything she wanted, cute and funny. He was also popular and gave her butterflies.

But what an eleven year old Aria didn't know was that he would one day threaten to ruin her relationship because of his jealously.

She wondered how _he_ was at eleven or even as a kid, he never told anything about his childhood other than the tragic suicide of his late mother which was after she forced him to tell her.

That was the only time Aria saw Ezra vulnerable.

Aria had known he was hiding something but didn't know the enormity of it, after that day she found out Ezra was broken. He had secrets and issues as well even though it didn't seem like it because he was going at hiding his pain, he was hurting.

_Stop thinking about him, you have a boyfriend. _

She did as her mind told her and buried her head into the huge amount of paper work her 'lovely' boss asked – no demanded her to do.

The paper work on her desk was anything but tempting; she rolled her eyes as she sorted through them whilst mentally cursing Myra in her head.

* * *

"You want to break up?"

Ezra asked, raising his eyes in confusion, the woman in front of him nodded, smiling sadly as she touched his hand. They had been dating for the last three months.

"Yes" Kayleigh said "This relationship isn't going anyone, you don't love me" she stated.

"We've only been dating for three months, I need more time" He said.

"If you don't love me now, you'll never love me" She said "You're still in love with _her, _whoever she is. Emma. You're still in love with Emma"

He laughed without humour "Emma isn't real, she's a character in a book, a figment of my imagination." He said knowing deep down that it was lie.

Perhaps Emma entirely wasn't real but bits of her were all Aria; her vulnerability, her boldness, her ability to brighten someone's day with a smile, her courage, her –

It took him a while to realise that whilst he was thinking about his ex-girlfriend, his soon to be ex-girlfriend was still talking to him.

"— we don't truly know each other, the relationship is entirely physical, you haven't met my family. I don't even know about your family, I don't know if your parents are still together, or if you have any siblings. The only person I've met is Hardy and that was accidental."

_Stop thinking about her, she isn't your girlfriend. _

He repeated in his head but it didn't help, all he could think about was her.

"I'm sorry, Z. I care about you, I do. I just don't think this can ever work" She said, her blue eyes were filled with sadness.

"I understand" He said, her eyes widened. She had expected for him to fight and give reasons saying why they should stay together after all that's what all her ex-boyfriends did but here he was agreeing with her.

"You do?"

"We're too different to be together, I hope after this we can still stay as friends" He said and she smiled brightly, Kayleigh got up and hugged Ezra.

"I'll see you around then"

She said and he nodded, after a brief second of looking at each other she walked out of the bar. Ezra sighed and ordered a beer.

He should be upset but why wasn't he?

Kayleigh Carter was perfect, she was smart and beautiful. She was easy to get along with and there was a potential in their relationship but he couldn't lie and say he loved her.

He didn't know why he didn't love her, she was brilliant, she was as Hardy as 'quite a catch'

_Perhaps because you're still in love with your former student_

A voice in his head said, he gulped up the beer immediately regretting it once he felt the burning sensation in his throat.

He was screwed, being in love with someone you can't have is one thing but being in love with someone you dated while she was your student and the daughter of a colleague was another.

Whilst pondering the reasons why he was cursed and thinking about what he must have done in a previous life to deserve such agony, a girl was drowning in her sorrows a state away.

* * *

"Hey babe" She answered the call and tried to sound as cheery as possible.

"Hey Aria, where are you?"

"Out shopping, where else would I be?" she replied and received a chuckle from her boyfriend, she walked down the road faster and faster realising she was late for her appointment.

"I was wondering, dinner at Le Bernadin and a movie in central park. What do you think?" He asked and there was noise behind his voice. He was clearly working, as always.

"Sounds wonderful, count me in. Listen, Jake I have to go I'll speak to you in a bit" She said and murmured an 'I love you' before hanging up and looking at the door before walking in.

_DR ANNE SULLIVAN. PH.D_

_CLINICAL PYSCHOLOGIST_

_INDIVIDUAL__ AND GROUP THERAPIST_

* * *

**So what did you guys think? leave feedback in reviews pls, i would really appreciate you guys giving me any tips on what i can to do better. Once again, all these reviews truly mean the world to me so thankyou.**

** Review, Favourite, Follow.**

**xoxo Josie **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my lovelies, how are you today? Hope you all are having a wonderful day, i've spent the entire day watching Criminal Minds and editing Chapter seven. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it would mean a lot if you left a review:)**

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

_Seven years ago, rosewood. _

Aria knocked on Ezra's door, under any normal circumstances she would have took the key under the mat but she had no strength to pick it up.

Ian was A, he had killed himself because of it.

It was over, it was finally over. She was free to live how she wanted without worrying about the stalker watching her every move.

She was mostly relieved for him, for Ezra. Now that A was gone, no one knew about them. About their relationship, no one except for the two of them

The door finally opened to Ezra, his eyes had circles under them and he was wearing boxers and a t-shirt.

"I heard what happened" He said, his voice etched with worry as he looked at her "He's gone"

That was all it took for her to break down, tears strolled down her cheeks as she fell into his arms. He held her close "It's okay, love. He's gone, for good"

* * *

Ezra sat in the bar, looking at his glass of scotch which was resting in his hands. It had been nearly half an hour since Kayleigh left him all alone.

The glass of scotch sat in his hands looking as tempting as ever, it was his fourth glass today. Something other people would be worried about but surprisingly enough, he wasn't.

Drinking was never his thing, even during college he barely ever drank. He had gotten drunk on occasion when celebrating something but otherwise he didn't drink, he didn't want to be suffering a hangover in class for the sake of a drink and a moment of ignorance.

But now everything had changed, he drank more than he had ever done so before. He was turning into his father much to his disagreement.

Michael Fitzgerald would go through a whole bottle of whisky a day, a reason why he wasn't so well regarded with his children.

The stench of alcohol wasn't the first thing they looked forward to when they were hugging their father.

It wasn't serious, though. He didn't have a problem, he could stop anytime he wanted and one day he would or so he hoped.

He sat wondering when this had begun, when his drinking had begun.

It was roughly about five or so years ago when he left Rosewood, the pain of leaving her and of not having anyone to lean on was hard on him.

And so in order to forget, he drank.

His phone buzzed and he looked at it; it was a message from his sister.

_Why is Kayleigh calling me saying how big of a douche you are and how you're a coward – Maggie. _

Ezra rolled his eyes; it was typical of Kayleigh to put the blame on him when she was the one who suggested the break up.

He typed in a vague response on how she broke up with him and that he was better off without her, perhaps it was a better idea to stay single for a while.

After all, he needed time alone to focus on his career and his novel. The thoughts of his future were interrupted by a high pitched squeal.

"Hey Mr Fitz" A voice yelled, he turned around to where the sound was coming and saw the one and only, Spencer Hastings.

The lanky brunette stumbled on her way over to him, she was clearly drunk. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity; he had never seen Spencer look so – unkempt.

He forced a smile "Hello Spencer" He said politely as she took a seat next to him ordering anything with lots and lots of alcohol in it (her words not his)

She gulped up the drink she was given faster than she should have "You look pretty" She commented as she looked at him.

Ezra chuckled "Thank you, Spencer" he said, awkwardly and drank the remaining drink in the glass; he casually ordered another one trying not listen to the drunken Spencer's antics.

"So Mr Fitz, how are you?" she said, slurring the last bit as she turned to face him

"I'm good, what about you?" he continued the conversation even though he didn't want to; he awaited her answer although he didn't quite know what he was getting into at the time.

"I'm awful" She cried "I am horrible human being; I may have just ended a friendship with my best friend" she said as the second drink went down her throat, She always revealed too much when she was drunk.

It had been a habit she was not proud of.

"You remember aria right?" Spencer asked and he stopped himself from scoffing, he knew Aria alright.

He had known her, loved her and had his heart broken by her

Ezra nodded in response and then was dragged into a conversation which the drunken Spencer told him everything slurring most of it, so he was only able to understand about 15% of what she had said.

From what he had gathered, she was pissed and then she yelled at Aria, said some things she shouldn't have and now she was sad (once again, her words not his)

"Um, Spencer" He began, not really knowing what he should be saying "You and Aria were close, extremely close. You told each other everything and were practically sisters so I'm guessing no matter what happens or who says what. She will forgive you, she loves you. You need to give her a chance"

Spencer looked at him, dumbfounded "You speak as if you know her"

His eyes widened "No, it's just. I'm guessing, basing everything on instinct" He replied quickly and then looked at the guy in front of him.

" Come on Spencer, I'll drop you off home" He said as he looked at the guy across the bar who had been eyeing her up for the last ten minutes, he didn't feel right just leaving her here alone and vulnerable.

She nodded

* * *

"How have you been?" Anne asked her voice soft and full of concern.

Aria thought of what to say, she didn't exactly know the answer. It hadn't the best of her days and yet it hadn't been the worst, at this point she didn't know where her friendship with Spencer— or any of the girls was really.

They were angry, it was understandable but a part of her wished they would just leave it alone. That they would understand what she had been through.

But how would they understand?

She hadn't told them anything, she took a deep breath in and out as her therapist looked at her waiting for a response.

"Fine" Aria said, vaguely "My friend, Spencer. The one I told you about –," she added but was interrupted.

"Spencer, she was at the farm house that night along with your other friends. She helped pull you out, correct me if I'm wrong" Anne said.

It was true; Spencer had pulled her out after she fell unconscious. Emily and Hanna had helped, she had called them and they came. No questions asked.

"We had an argument, she was angry" Aria forced a smile "It's understandable, really. I am an awful friend and she wasn't afraid to call me out on it" she said, sadly.

Spencer had always been the brutally honest one; it was one of the traits that Aria admired most about her.

"Did you tell her about the fire? About what happened once you left Rosewood?" Anne questioned.

Aria shook her head

"Have you, perhaps, considered that the reasons you are still stuck in the past is because you haven't opened up to anyone about what has happened?"

"Of course I have" Aria said quickly "I spent days, nights thinking about it. About how wonderful it will be to be relieved of the burden of my secret, I want to tell my friends and cry on their shoulder but I can't because it's not just my secret. I can't tell them before I tell him, he deserves to know. And one day I will tell him"

_One day_

She sighed, would she ever have the guts to tell him? It was unfair for her to keep the secret.

And her friends, the girls who she had known since she was a kid, they told each other every when they were younger then high School happened.

But yet they were always united through thick and thin, no one could separate them no matter how hard they tried and here she was hiding from the girls she viewed as her sisters.

It killed her, not seeing them, they were her family and she hadn't seen them in years.

She had to go back; she couldn't live a lie anymore. It would eat her alive if she did.

* * *

"Do you have a girlfriend, Ezra?" She giggled as she said his first name.

He couldn't help but laugh at her behaviour "well as of about an hour ago, I don't" He said as he drove through Philadelphia and towards Rosewood.

"I could set you up with one of my friends, there's Lizzy from work. She's a bitch but she's _pretty"_ Spencer said as she leaned against the window.

"No thank you, Spencer. I think being single for a little while is the best thing for me"

"If you insist" She blew a raspberry out of boredom and jumped slightly when her phone buzzed "Hellooo" She said in a sing song voice.

It was Hanna on the other voice, Ezra could tell. Her voice was loud enough for him to hear, he sighed with relief as he saw the Rosewood sign.

"I'm with Ezra" Spencer slurred into the phone "Mr Fitz, duh" she said.

"Omg, you're with Fitzy. You're cheating on Tobes, what the hell Spence? I get Fitz is hot and all but seriously"

Ezra cleared his throat, awkwardly counting the minutes till he was going to be out of the car.

He sped up a little bit and drove into Spencer's road, following her directions, even when she was drunk she was just as bossy when giving orders.

"I am not!" Spencer yelled into the phone "I'm nearly home, Okay bye" she said as Ezra pulled into the drive way, Hanna had obviously been waiting and was standing outside when they came.

Spencer got out of the car after mumbling thank you, Hanna waved cheerfully.

He smiled in response as he pulled out of the driveway whilst watching as Spencer stumbled and Hanna held her.

* * *

Aria stepped into the unsurprisingly empty apartment, she looked around gazing from corner to corner, and she understood why Spencer was so surprised when she saw her apartment.

It wasn't her at all, it was all Jake. Her ideal apartment didn't include sofas that she was afraid to sit on because it would get dirty; it included fun quirky furniture with bright colours.

The invitation on the table caught her attention, she couldn't believe Spencer was actually getting married, she had always assumed it would be her or Hanna for some reason.

Hanna and Aria had always been planning their wedding whilst Emily and Spencer were playing field hockey or soccer.

She reached into her bag and grabbed the phone, she dialled a number.

"Hello" She said, and surprisingly enough, it wasn't who she was expecting but instead Emily.

"_Aria?" _Emily asked, shock etched in her voice.

"Em" Aria said softly but quickly got to the point before she could convince herself otherwise "Is Spencer there? Never mind, I just called because I need to tell you guys something"

She paused for a minute and looked at the invitation on the table; from where she was standing she could see Spencer and Toby's name on the card.

Emily eagerly waited for Aria's response, wondering what she was going to possibly say.

"I'm coming home, Em. I'm coming back to Rosewood"

* * *

**So what do you guys think? Wooh Aria's coming back to Rosewood, i can't wait until i write that chapter. If you guys want me to add anything or have any tips, please leave it in a review. **

**Oh and a lovely reader informed me about how she was confused about Maggie and Ezra, i apologize for not making it clearer. Maggie is Ezra's sister, she's a couple years older than him. I hope that's not too weird but i wanted to involve Ezra's family in this story. **

**If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me.**

**Lastly, do you guys prefer longer or shorter chapters? let me know. **

**Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing, it means the world to me, it honestly does. **

**Review, Favourite and Follow. **

**xoxo Josie. **


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